NFL to review policies amid lawsuit

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has told teams that the league will review the policies aimed at encouraging the hiring of minorities, particularly as head coaches, and pledges an investigation into tanking allegations raised by Brian Flores in his discrimination lawsuit against the league.

"We will re-evaluate and examine all policies, guidelines and initiatives relating to diversity, equity and inclusion, including as they relate to gender," Goodell wrote in a memo to the league's 32 clubs on Saturday that was obtained by The Associated Press.

The commissioner added that the league's record on hiring minority coaches has been "unacceptable".

The memo came five days after Flores sued the league and three teams over alleged racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers, saying the league remains "rife with racism" even as it publicly condemns it.

The NFL's main avenue for increasing diversity in its leadership ranks is the two-decade-old Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for jobs including head coach and general manager.

Despite the rule, there is just one black head coach in the league in Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and just a handful of black GMs -- in a league where more than 70 per cent of players are black or another ethnic minority.

"Our goal is simple: make our efforts and those of the clubs more effective so that real and tangible results will be achieved," Goodell said.

In a statement, Flores' attorneys said while Goodell's memo appears to be a positive first step they "suspect that is it more of a public relations ploy than real commitment to change".

Flores, who is black, was fired as Miami's coach last month despite back-to-back winning seasons.

He named the league and